Carrier means for artificial teeth



Aug. 21, 1945. F. TRYF-US ET AL 2,383,027

I CARRIER MEANS FOR ARTIFICIAL TEETH Filed NOV. 16, 1940 v lNVENTORSALFRED MFNDEL Patented Aug. 21, 1945 UNITED v STATE s PATENT OFFICECARRIER MEANS Fo AR'rIFIo h TEETH FredericTryfusgForestllills, andAlfred Mendel, New York, N.-Y. l

Application November 16, 1940,Serial No.; 365,878

.2 Claims. orse-e71 This invention concerns improvements in carriermeans for display purposes, particularlyof artificial teeth.

Heretofore used carriers for mounting teeth have many disadvantages asthey do not display the teeth in their natural and relative positions,particularly determined by the individual gum form which is more or lesscurved, thusmaking it impossible to demonstrate and to recognize with Itis another object of the present invention to provide an adjustablecarrier of the above nature which may be placed in themouth of thepatient for comparing .the artificial teeth with the remainder of histeeth. p t

Still another object of the present invention is to provide'a carrier on-whichthear'tiilial teethmay be adjustably arrangedand fixed theiradjusted position relatively to each other.

A still further object of the present invention v is to provide acarrier body on which the teeth may be easily and removably fixed sothat-they project beyond the lower edge of the 'saidbody whereby thetranslucency of the teeth at the ends thereof may be observed forcomparison and like purposes.

Yet another object of the present invention to utilize said adjustablemeans for maintainingthe carrier body in a desired shape as a supportingmeans for holding supplemental portions of the carrier, portions of saidadjustable means being also employable as anchoring meansengaging withneighboring or adjacent teeth in themouth of the patient. h

Still a further object of the invention resides in the provision ofcarrier means whose body color corresponds substantially to that of Ythe natural gum of the patient. said carrier body beingpreferably madeof rubber or similar elastic material and maybe easily cleaned andinexpensively manufactured. t

Still another object of .the present invention is to provide a carrierbody with pockets or cavities whose form and walls are made to holdartificial teeth in their fixed position on said body, no particularfixing means being thus required to place and hold each tooth on :thecarrier body.

It is yet another object of the present'invention to provide a flexibleor elastic soft carrier bodyfor teeth haying flange or lip portionswhich overlie said cavitiesof the carrier body receiving the teeth; said"portions facilitating retention of the teeth in position in saidcavities, respectively.

"These and other objects; are accomplished and this inventionaccordingly consistsin the features or construction; combination ofparts and in the unique relations of the members and in the -rela-ftiveproportioning and disposition thereof; all as more completely outlinedherein.

;To enable others skilled in the art so fully to comprehendtheunderlying features thereof that they may embody the same by thenumerous modifications in structure and relation contemplated by thiinvention, a drawing particularly depicting certain formsof' theinvention has been 'annexedas apart of this disclosure, and in suchdrawing like characters of reference denote cor responding parts"throughout all the views, of which: l g Fig. 1 is-a front perspectiveview illustrating a carrier body made in accordance with the invention.L f

Fig.2isarearviewofFigL- l Fig.3 is an enlarged sectional view of theembodiment of Fig, 1* taken along line 3--3 as positioned in the mouthof a patient;

Fig, 4 is a perspective viewillustrating a tooth fromits rear. 1 t t 5is a fragmentary detailed view of the carrierbodyfi" Fig. 6 is afragmentary detailed view of the carrier body in a modified form.

g; '7 isa front elevational view of the carrier body in another form." I8' is a fra entary detailed view of the carrierJbody in afurthermodified form.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates acarrienmeans generally designated byYnumeral IUIf rholding anddisplaying artificial teeth I,I,, Said carrier means comprising a soft,flexible orelastic body 12 preferably niade of rubber or rubbercomposition, whose color is substantially similar to that of the naturalgum of a human being.

In carrier body I2 nearer the lower edge l3 use-d inconnection with theinvention and seen.

thereof, there are provided a plurality of cavities or pockets I4arranged in the form of a any desired location of the body I2; as forex-' tremities 24, 25 of which may be utilized as anchoring means atneighboring teeth 26, 21 of ample, there may be provided openings I6(Fig; v 5), grooves II continuous or not (Fig. 6)'*or slits 28, 29 (Fig.8) provided in the bottom of each pocket-like shaped cavity or recessI4. The tooth II may be also held on said bottom by suction in whichcase said-openings I6 can be employed as vacuum producing means byforming the same somewhat cup-shaped which will then engage with. theflat rear portion I-8 of the tooth II (Fig. 3). f

To each toot-h II at thei-rearlii. thereof may be further secured oneor-rnore pins, IS in any desired. form, preferably-each provided with .ashank. portion 20 anda head 2| adapted to be inserted within;respectiveopenings I 5 -(Figs. 3 and 5). .-Where 'the groove 11;is..employed the tooth may be somewhat adjusted along, said groove inits positioning. within said cavity II. To this. end, the groove- I lismade longer than the distancebetween the extremities of .the pin heads2I-. Inthe casev oi slits 28, 28 which may extend verticallyand-longitudinally- .or crosswise-in cavities I4, further adjustments.ofthe tooth within .itscavity may-be; accomplished, the pins- I9 beingthen provided without head portions- ZI. The. cavities I4 areso disposed:that the teeth @II when secured -writhin the'cavities- I4 project belowthe lower edge I3 of carrier body I2 so that the.translucency-andvcoloring of the teeth-may beeasily observed. 1

In the embodiment. shownin Figs..1 to 5, when the tooth I I is insertedwithin cavity I4,-li-p'portion I5,- of the carrier body I2, extendsover-part I5" of tooth II. and the heads io of the pins I9 length ofwire 22 or any other formable and relativelystiff materialforthe purposeof adjusting and retaining body I2 in a predetermined, for. instance,curved, shapev or; in. a form- 'determined by the individual gum shapeof the patient. "Ihus, the carrienbody- I2.;maybe either applied to themouth ofthapatient orthe teeth may-beadjustedand. displayed more readilyin their naturaLrelationship vand, to. simulate actual mouth conditions.f I

Wire. 22' mayf-urther be employed as, asupporting means to adjacentlyposition and hold a supplemental body part 23 carryinga tooth as shownin Fig. '7. For this purpose part 23 may be threaded on wire 22'(Figs, 3and 7), the exthe patient. Wire 22 may be attached to or embedded in thematerial of body I2 in any suitable manner.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided, by this invention,carrier means of the character described in which the various objectshereinabove set forth, together with many thor-- oughly practicaladvantages, are successfully achieved.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention, and asmany changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is tobe understood that all matters "hereinbefore set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawing areto be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is: I

a .1. A carrier for display of artificial teeth comprisingasubstantially gum simulating body of a single piece of flexible andelastic material, said bodyhaving an upper portion tapering. toward itsupper end and a lower portion extending from saidupper portion andprovided with at least one pocket for the insertion of a tooth therein,said pocket being defined by a rear wall terminating in a lower edge, byan upper wall extending fromsaid rear wall .and recessed. in said upperportion, and by a flexible andiela'stic lip integral with said body andprojecting from said upper portion beyond said upper .wall of saidpocket; and means integral with said body and formed-in therear wall ofsaid pocket, said means and said lip being adapted upon engagement witha tooth inserted in said I pocket to retain said tooth therein ,formanual adjustment and for removal therefrom, said tooth when placedagainst said rear wall extending beyond said lower edge of the latterand toward said upper wall of said pocket.

2. A carrier for adjustment and display 'of artificial teeth comprisinga substantiallrgum simulating body of a single piece of flexible, un

vulcanized rubber material,v said body .including an upper portion and alowerportionextending from said upper portion and provided with atleast'one pocket for the insertion of a tooth therein, said pockethaving a rear wall terminating ina free lower edge, an upper wallextending fromsaid rear-wall toward said upper body portion, and aflexible lip projectingfrom said body beyond said upper wall in downwarddirectiomsaid rear wall of said pocket being provided v withv a slitformation formed in and' in-' tegral .withsaidbody material, saidformation being engageablewith a portion of a toothwhen inserted insaidpocketwhereby said tooth abuts against said rear wall andextendstoward said upper wall and beyond said lower edge,-said: lipbeing adapted to overlie another portion of said tooth extending toward,said upper wall vof said pocket.

, FREDERIC TRYFUS.

ALFRED MENDEL.

